Deadly Betrayals
by Jodie N. Cullen
Summary: A young lawyer's life is turned around when her sister is found murdered with no sign of a suspect. After she recieves a note from the elusive killer, she realizes that this is a game of cat and mouse. Intended for older youth audience.
1. Prologue

Deadly Betrayals

Deadly Betrayals

By

Jodie N. Cullen

PROLOGUE

As she walked slowly through the darkness, Riley felt a sudden chill. She turned quickly to see a cat dart by into the hall behind her. Concealed by the shadows, Riley shrugged and advanced towards her prey. Then the unthinkable happened: the person in the bed stirred and sat up. Riley moved stealthily toward the closet to hide. The figure from the bed went over to the door to see what had screamed. Remembering that it had been a dream, she closed the door and climbed back into bed.

Riley silently exhaled, as she'd been holding her breath. She looked at the woman lying there alone and the corners of her mouth turned up to form a crude smile. Glancing around, Riley continued with her duty. The orders her employer had given her were simple: kill her and take the gold. Riley smiled again, thinking of the large sum of money that this person would be paying her. She pulled out a gun and decided to just get it over with.


	2. Chapter 1

Deadly Betrayals

PART I: TRAJEDY

The sound of sirens broke the early morning silence. People swarmed around the large house, which was surrounded by police cars. Among the curious spectators was Tammy Mahoney, prepared to go to work.

"What happened?" she asked a nearby officer. "Is Tori alright?"

"Are you related to the victim?" He replied.

"Victim? She's my sister! What happened?!"

"Please, stay calm ma'am, and I'll go find out exactly what's happened. Stay here."

While she waited, Tammy's maid June brought her a jacket and her car keys. "You'll be late, Miss. It's already 5:45. Oh, my, what happened here?"

"Thank you, June. I don't know what happened but could you call Blaze and tell him that I'll be there around 6:30 instead of 6? I really need to straighten things out here."

"Alright, I will do that." She turned and headed back to the mansion across the street.

After 15 minutes of impatient waiting, the officer finally returned.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but there's a lot of confusion as to what exactly went on. All we know is that the shot was made with a pistol, and the scene was cleaned up pretty good. Luckily the sound of the dog howling was enough to wake the neighbours early. Miss? Are you alright? Would you like to sit down?" Tammy just stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Tori i-is dead? H-how can that h-happen?" her voice was shaking with fear, disbelief, shock, and, most of all, pain.

In an instant, Tammy's world fell apart. She stumbled across the empty street to her car, opened the door, and sat down. She started the Mustang and began to back out of the driveway.

"Miss! Please, we need to ask you some questions!" the officer pleaded uselessly. Tammy didn't listen; all of her thoughts were focused on her sister. Tears sprung into her eyes, threatening to roll down her cheeks. Blinking them back, she turned left and crossed a bridge over a narrow river. Her and Tori's special place came up faster than normal. Tammy turned off the car and got out. She walked through the fog towards an enormous boulder.

Tammy sprinted to the rock and climbed on top. _Tori can't be dead. Not now. She just turned 28. Too young. Oh, God,_ Tammy thought. Now she let the tears flow freely like the river in front of her. She sighed as she reflected what happened and glanced at her watch. 6:20. Shoot. Quickly drying her tears on her sleeve, Tammy ran to her car and returned to the city.

As she slugged into her office, Tammy noticed a small black box on her desk. Blaze poked his head into the office.

"Morning. I heard the news. I am so sorry, Tams. If there's anything I can do--" she cut him off.

"Where's this from?"

"Um, I don't know. Honestly, no one came in here, I'm positive. What's in it?"

Tammy shrugged and opened the perfect little box. Inside was a golden heart necklace, and Tammy gasped. Dropping the box and the necklace, she ran as fast as she could out to her car and got in. Blaze caught up with her there with the necklace she'd dropped.

"What's wrong, Tammy? You look like you just saw a ghost!" Tammy stared at him and tried to speak. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Only a choked-off sob as he hugged her. "Take a couple of days off Tam, paid, okay? You need rest and time to recover. Here," he handed her the necklace, "you dropped this. What's up with it, anyways? You acted like it burned your hand." Tammy nodded, for it had burned her, but not with any form of heat. She took the necklace and explained how it had been her sister's and that she just found it strange that it had turned up here. Tammy then began to sob uncontrollably, but managed to drive home, where the necklace was forgotten about.

Open, shut. Open, shut. Alive, dead. Alive, dead. Tammy opened the locket over and over to see her sister's face. They had ironically given the same locket to each other last Saturday for a birthday gift. It was clear now, in Tammy's head…

"_Ok, I got you the best present ever! Open it, you're gonna freak!" Tori opened the box and gasped._

"_No way! Oh, my God, are you kidding me? Ok, open yours and you'll see what makes this so awesome." Tammy grabbed up the other box and lifted the lid off. _

"_What?! How did that happen? That is so cool!" she held up the same gold heart necklace as she had given Tori. Inside was Tori's picture. They hugged, and laughed at the coincidence, coming to the conclusion that great minds think alike…_

The ring of the doorbell brought Tammy out of the past. She went to get the door, making her running mascara dry on her face.

"Who are you?" she didn't recognize the man standing before her.

"Good evening, Miss Mahoney. Is this a bad time?" He had a concerned look on his face.

"Um, no. Er, sorry about how I look Mr…uh…"

"Swift. Randy Swift from the Varnisville Funeral Home." Tammy just stared. Then she fainted. June came in at that point.

"Miss? Tammy? What did you do to her? Who are you?" He tipped his hat and introduce himself.

"I'm sorry for causing trouble, but I need to help Miss Mahoney with funeral preparations." June brought him into the sitting room, and then woke up Tammy.

"He's in the sitting room, Miss. Is there anything I can get you?" Tammy groaned and sat up.

"Some coffee, June, would be great. Please." She joined Mr. Swift on one of the leather sofas. "Sorry about that. There's been a lot of stress since yesterday. What can I do for you?"

"Well," he said, "I came to you because you are Tori's closest family, according to the police. Is this correct?"

"Yes, since her husband died a year ago, my mother and I are her only family." Her eyes filled yet again with tears.

"O.K. So Mrs. Winters had no children or anything? In-laws?" Tammy sighed and decided that she should tell him the story of what had happened.

"Well, here's the story. Tori's life was kind of screwed up. I was always the successful one. She was sort of a partier and she was involved with drugs. Until she met Shawn. He helped Tori get back on her feet. You see, Shawn had no family at all so he decided he was going to help her out. They ended up falling in love instead.

"In 2004, they got married. He was a skilled scientist, so he did the main supporting. She took an admin course and got a job with me at my law firm.

"They were so happy together and decided to have a child. Then the accident came when Tori went into labour. A drunk driver hit Shawn's side of the car on the way to the hospital and he died instantly. Tori went to the hospital, but it was too late. She had a mis-carriage and her life nearly went back to the way it was before." Tears rolled silently down Tammy's cheeks and she wiped them off with the back of her hand. June put a tray onto the coffee table then sat beside Tammy to comfort her.

"Coffee, Mr. Swift?" she asked, reaching for the pot and a mug.

"Yes, please. I know this is difficult, Miss Mahoney, and I thank you for sharing that story with me. When did it happen, if you don't mind my asking?"

"October 17, 2006. A year ago tomorrow. Um, when is the soonest we can have the funeral? Is next Saturday available?" He opened his briefcase and shuffled some papers inside.

"Ah, yes, I believe so. October 26, right? Here it is," he pulled out some papers and a pen. Placing them in front of Tammy, he passed her the pen. "Sign on the lines marked with X's to verify the schedule etcetera." She did and then he returned the papers to his briefcase. "Now, let's talk about other plans."

Later that afternoon, Tammy seemed worn out. It had been a long day so far, and she'd barely gotten any sleep the night before. She decided to call Link to go out.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Link. What's up?" Tammy tried to sound as normal as possible. Obviously she failed.

"What's the matter, babe? You sound scared, is everything ok?" Always trust Link to know there's a problem.

"Yeah, things are alright. Are you busy tonight? Can we meet for supper or something? Or can I come over or whatever?"

They agreed to meet at a new restaurant at 6:30.

The next few hours were stressful for Tammy. She couldn't decide what to wear or anything. Finally, she chose a plain blue button-up shirt with jeans. June walked in while she was pulling her long blonde hair into a bun.

"Going out?" June asked.

"Mm-hm," Tammy mumbled around the bobby pin in her mouth. She put it into her hair and put her black rimmed glasses back on. "Link and I are going to that new restaurant in town. Could you get my coat and gloves for me? Thanks." Sighing, Tammy grabbed her purse and went downstairs. She looked out the window to see it was snowing. "Oh, no! June! I can't take the 'Stang, it's snowing." June handed her a black leather jacket and matching gloves then went to start the Explorer.

On the way to the restaurant, Tammy went over in her head what she was going to say to Link. Would he be upset? She debated the entire way there and was fairly confident as to what she would say. Until she saw him. He still had the same effect on her as he did when she first saw him. She was like a high school girl again, ogling him and acting all girly. He came and opened her door for her.

"Hello, beautiful. How was your day?" He seriously needed to watch the news more often. She faked a smile.

"It was alright. Have you watched the news lately? Heard anything important on the radio or anything?" He frowned.

"No, why? Did I miss something I shouldn't have?"

"Um, sorta, but I need to talk to you. Actually, I don't think this is the place for it, though. Could we go to your house instead?" His frown deepened. This was obviously confusing him, as she'd rarely ever acted like this.

"Er, sure, if you want to. What's wrong, babe?" She shrugged.

"I'll tell you when we get there."

Tammy forgot how small Link's house was compared to hers. They sat together on an old sofa in the small living room.

"Ok, tell me what's going on. I'm pulling a total blank, here." Tammy took a deep breath.

"Well, if you didn't watch the news, then you wouldn't have seen what happened. I don't know how you didn't hear about Tori's death. Monday night she was shot. No one new until the next day." This time only one tear managed to get loose. Link wiped it off and grabbed Tammy into a hug. He put his cheek on her head and she buried her face in his chest.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me this before? You know I would've been over there in a heartbeat." He kissed the top of her head and pulled her chin up.

"Yeah, but I was still coming to grips with it. I didn't think about telling people. Mum doesn't even know yet."

"Okay, let's go back to your house and eat, I haven't got anything here." Tammy nodded and went out to the car.

When they arrived there, June came up to her, wide-eyed.

"Ah, Miss Mahoney there was woman here to see you. She didn't give a name, just this." She handed Tammy a piece of folded black paper.

"Thank you, June. What's the matter? Your hands are shaking." June frowned.

"Its nothing, Miss, just the woman that brought that was so…strange. Like she knew something terrible but didn't want to tell me. Perhaps it was nothing, though, just my imagination."

"You should take a rest upstairs, June. Go lay down for a while, okay? I'll be back later. " She went back to the garage and climbed into the warm Explorer. Link smiled at her and asked what she had been talking to June about.

"Oh, I forgot, thanks for reminding me." She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the envelope June had delivered. There was a strange feel on it, a leathery texture almost. Shuddering, Tammy opened the envelope and her eyes widened at the message inside.

_I'm coming for you. Don't forget that._

Tammy dropped the note on the floor and began to drive. She could feel Link's eyes burning into her, searching for an answer to his unasked question.

"It was just a joke someone wanted to play. It's okay, I'm fine and you don't need to see it. So there." Although she knew it was no joke, she childishly lifted her chin fraction and put on a smug expression before she burst out laughing. Link just looked at her like she was on drugs. Hesitantly, he asked: "Are you okay, Tammy? You're going into hysterics, and it's scaring me. Tammy?" She continued laughing and ignored him.

Eventually, she pulled over and tried to stop laughing successfully. She wiped the tears from her eyes, and Link raised an eyebrow. he grabbed her shoulders to calm her down. "Are you okay, Tammy? I'm very concerned and I think you need to go to a counsellor right away." Tammy grinned and kissed him. He pushed her away and began to get agitated. "Tammy, get a grip and tell me what you're problem is, right now, or I will get out and walk." Tammy took a few minutes but she finally settled down and talked.

"I just realized that this is all a dream and I'm going to wake up and go to work and Tori will be there like always and it will all be better. Just like it was before." Link sighed and shook his head. He told her to just keep driving.

"The bedroom on the left, right there, and put it in the corner." Tammy directed Link's friends where to put his things. Link had finally decided to move in with Tammy. "OK guys, thank you. We need to go pretty quick here, so have some money for now and I'll pay you some more tomorrow." She handed them each 150 and showed them to the door. Then she ran back upstairs, took the ponytail out of her hair and brushed it straight. Then she grabbed her black dress and shoes and slipped them on. Link knocked and came in wearing a black suit.

"Are you ready? It starts in 45 minutes, so we need to get going." She nodded, putting her glasses back on and took her purse off the bed.

"Let's just go so this is out of the way." She attempted to smile but failed and sighed. Link lead her to the running car.

When they arrived at the funeral, it was the saddest sight Tammy had ever seen: people dressed in black crying. Everyone was there; family, Tori's friends, and Blaze was also there. He came to greet Tammy and Link with a hug and a handshake.

"I'm glad you came, Blaze. I know how much you liked Tammy." Blaze nodded, gave her another hug then went to pay his respects to her parents. Someone directed everyone to sit down, and the funeral began.


	3. Chapter 2

Deadly Betrayals

PART II: MYSTERY

Tammy flipped the pancake in the pan and put some bacon on the other pan next to it. Link came into the kitchen and nearly choked on his own tongue.

"You're cooking? When did you learn how to cook?" Tammy glared at him.

"Thank you Tammy, breakfast smells good, what are you making?" She said sarcastically.

"Sorry, I'm just not used to it. Why didn't you get June to make it?"

"June took the day off, she really needed it. Besides, it's Sunday and, and you have no where to go." Link's eyes got wide and he ran to Tammy.

"Are you OK? You're acting like you aren't rich. Did the funeral have any bad effects on you?" He felt her forehead with the back of his hand. She slapped it away and put the pancake on a plate, then put bacon on it and shoved it into Link's hands.

"You're welcome," she snapped, and stormed out of the room. Link just stood motionless with the plate in his hands, not sure what to say or do. Shrugging, he grabbed the butter and syrup and sat at the mahogany table. Tammy poked her head around the corner and smiled when she saw him eating. She sat across from him and asked: "Is it good? Did I do okay?" He grinned and swallowed.

"Delicious. I never knew you could cook, and this is better than any of June's breakfasts, I give you that." Tammy's face glowed. It faded though, with a sharp knock on the front door. She sighed and went to get it. Pecking Link's cheek on the way by, she ran to the door. However, there was no one there when she opened it. She looked down and saw a black envelope waiting for her.

Link dropped his fork when he heard the scream. When he got to the door, it was wide open and Tammy was no where to be seen. Frantically, Link searched for her and found her on the sitting room floor, leaning against the tan sofa. The envelope was in front of her, unopened. Link sprinted to her side and grabbed her hand. Tammy didn't look up at him; she just stared blankly at the letter.

Being careful not to disrupt Tammy, Link snatched it up and opened the thick envelope. Inside was a piece of folded black paper. In bold white was written "LINK". He shrugged and unfolded it. A short note in flowing calligraphy was inside. It said:

_I hope you enjoyed your pancakes. Yes, Link, we've been watching you. I need you to stay calm and follow my instructions. First, do not tell Tammy or the police anything you read here. We'll know if you do. Act normal and we won't kill her or Blaze. There is a bomb planted at Tammy's law firm and it will go off if we want it to. Expect another note with more instructions soon. _

Tammy still stared into nothing, so Link took the note upstairs and hid it between the mattresses. Then he went to get some orange juice for Tammy.  
She hadn't moved an inch when he got back. He took her hand and placed the glass in it. Her eyes flickered and came back to life. They gazed at each other for what seemed like hours. Finally Link looked away and motioned for her to drink the juice. She drained the glass thirstily and put it on the coffee table. After clearing her throat, she broke the everlasting silence.

"Did you read it?" Link carefully kept his eyes away from hers.

"Yes, it was for me, and I can't tell you what's in it. It says not to, and anyways, I don't want to scare you." Tammy pleaded with her big blue eyes for an explanation. Link shook his head and gave her a quick kiss before informing her that he needed to shower.

Tammy found an old puzzle book to keep herself distracted while she waited for Link. She was soon bored, though, and decided to get dressed. Simple sweat pants and a hoodie to stay cozy. She pulled her hair into a sloppy ponytail and washed her face. Link was soon finished and, by then, so was she.

"Staying in all day are we? Sounds good to me," Tammy giggled and pushed him onto the bed. He acted surprised and pulled her on top of him. Their kissing was interrupted by a sharp cough.

"This is inappropriate behaviour, Tamara." A shrill voice Tammy recognized all too well. She rolled onto her back and lay beside Link, shocked and alarmed.

"Mom! How did you get in here?! And it's no business of yours what I do." Tammy's mother smirked, looking disapproving.

"The door was unlocked. I got here in the nick of time, I see," she glanced at Link's shirt, unbuttoned. He grinned sheepishly and re-buttoned it.

"I'll just go get something to drink. Out there. In the kitchen. Yeah." He was obviously anxious to get out of the tense room. Mrs. Mahoney seemed very distracted, but snapped to attention after Link left.

"So, this is how we raised you. If your father, God rest his soul, could see you now he'd have a heart attack! Your job is falling apart, your sister died and now you're fooling around with your no-good boyfriend." Tammy glared and gave new meaning to the phrase "if looks could kill".

"Why do you care? It's my life and it's fine. I'm doing great at my job, by the way, and Link loves me. And what does Tori have to do with this, anyway? Her life had been in shambles when Shawn died, so I helped her and what do I get? You yelling at me FOR BEING BETTER THAN HER? HOW DARE YOU come into my house just to CRITISIZE my life! GET OUT!" The older woman looked stunned. She turned on her heel and walked out silently. Tammy waited for the sound of the front door slamming before she broke down. Uncaring of who heard her, she jumped up onto her bed and screamed loudly. Link cautiously peered around the corner into the room. He crept to her side and put his hand on her back, while she continued to bawl.

After about 5 minutes, Tammy's sobs turned to sniffles and she looked over at Link. He stood up and pulled her into his arms, sitting down on the bed.

"Do you want something to eat?" She shook her head. Link sighed in defeat and laid Tammy down on the bed. Before he could lie beside her, the telephone rang.

"Can't people leave us alone today? First the letter, then your mother…" he trailed off as he went to get the phone. Tammy just lay there, feeling helpless. Link came back quickly and brought Tammy the phone.

"It's for you, I don't know who it is but it's creepy sounding." Tammy frowned and sat up, reaching for the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Tammy. This is Detective Klark from the Varnisville Police Station." Tammy breathed a sigh of relief. He did have a very creepy sounding voice. Link looked down at her, confused and she simply shrugged.

"I have a lead from a fingerprint we found at your sister's house. The print belongs to a um, let me see here," Tammy heard papers rustling in the background, "Riley Chalmer. She's been sent to a mental institution in Georgia, and was recently released about 5 months ago. We're trying to locate her, but at the moment we have no idea where she is. Please be patient, we're working as fast as we can. I'll call you if we have any more information." Tammy thanked him and hung up. Link was waiting, pacing silently in the room. She explained the good news and he hugged her tight.

After finally getting some sleep, Tammy made her bed and prepared for the day ahead. She had decided to go to work today, so she got ready to go.

At the office, Blaze greeted Tammy warmly. She tried to return the warmth and failed miserably. Blaze detected her stress immediately.

"Tammy, welcome back and all, but I'm sorry to say that a package arrived for you this morning. It says urgent on it, here it is," he handed her a FedEx box. Hands shaking, Tammy brought it to her office. She ripped the parcel open, and found a smaller, black box inside. She opened the little black box and found a folded black paper.

"Wow," Blaze said, "that's a lot of black." On the paper was "Happy Anniversary" in white cursive. Beneath it was what appeared to be a watch. Then it ticked loudly and Tammy's stomach turned into a fist of fear. Dropping it on the floor, she grabbed Blaze's shirt, dragged him outside and slapped him.

"What the hell, Tammy!"

"Shut up! You need to think when you let strange people into the office! It's got a bomb in it, now there goes all our work!" As she said this, there was a deafening bang. They looked back to see 'Mathews & Mahoney' up in smoke.

Cradled in Link's arms, Tammy talked to the police officer. More like yelled.

"I told you! All that happened was I opened the box and I saw the bomb. I _don't_ know anything else, so stop BOTHERING ME!" The officer's eyes were now the size of saucers and he backed away.

"Alright, Miss," he put his hands up in surrender, "I understand. Uh, have a nice day and you can go home now."

"Thank you! God, you gotta wait an hour-and-a-half just to go home. Jeez!" Blaze came over to Tammy then and asked if they wanted to go to his house.

"I can make some coffee and we can talk about what we're going to do."


	4. Chapter 3

Deadly Betrayals

PART III: ENEMY

Shivering, Tammy strolled down the street to the store. It was snowing very hard and she could barely see in front of her. She began talking to herself.

"Stupid June. I wish she hadn't done that. Bloody winter. Argh I hate this so much." Suddenly she stopped, listening. There was definitely a car coming, which was odd because the newscasters had said not to drive or there could be accidents. Now paranoid, Tammy continued walking. The sound of the car wasn't there anymore, and Tammy thought she saw a figure approaching. Ignoring it, she kept going. The last thing she remembered was the dark shadow lifting its arm, and then everything went black.

Link paced in the over-sized living room. June tried to persuade him to sit with her on the couch, but he refused.

"Where is she? It doesn't take 45 minutes to go the store and back. I'm going to go look for her."

"Take the Explorer, Sir. We don't you disappearing as well. I'll go get the keys." Link thanked her and went to get his coat and gloves.

Driving down the street, Link searched through the blizzard for any sign of Tammy. He went into the store and asked the clerk if he'd seen her. The cashier replied that she'd never come into the store at all. Panicked, Link ran outside and started yelling: "Tammy! Where are you?! Oh, God Tammy please answer me! TA--" He was cut off because he tripped and fell. After brushing off some of the snow, Link looked to see what he'd tripped on.

Half buried in the snow was a black and white handbag. Link picked it up and checked to see whose it was. He soon recognized the Gucci label and realized who it belonged to. Stumbling and slipping in the ice and snow, Link dashed back to the house.

"June! Call the police! June!" He stopped dead when he saw her.

"That won't be necessary, Link. I have it all under control. Just sit tight and I'll make us a cup of tea okay?" She motioned with her gun for him to sit on the couch.

"Where's Tammy? What have you done with her?!" June smiled innocently.

"What makes you think _I_ have her?"

"You bitch tell me where she is!" Link jumped up and lunged at her. The gunshot rang in his ears and he saw blood blossoming on his pant leg. He dropped like a rock to the hardwood floor.

"And I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this. If you try that again, though, my aim won't be as bad." June grimaced. "If you don't cooperate, you will never find Tammy. Now," she sat calmly on the sofa, "let's talk." She patted the seat next to her. Link just lay on the floor holding his wound tightly. June sighed with annoyance and got the first aid kit. When she bent to clean his injury, he swatted at her.

"Get away from me, you bitch. I can't believe you shot me! God this hurts!"

"If you'd let me tend to it, it wouldn't hurt as much. Now, let me fix it!" Link hesitated, and then moved his bloodied hands. June fixed it up as best as she could, then she demanded he sit and talk.

Tammy groaned and tried to sit up. Bad idea. Her head throbbed as it hit the roof of the trunk. Panicking, she looked around frantically. She could see nothing but the darkness creeping all over her. A moment later, she lurched forward. The car had stopped and she heard the door slam. She shrank into the back further with each footstep she heard. Then she was blinded with light before being knocked out again.

"Help! Somebody, please! HE--" his cry was choked off when someone kicked him. He cringed back to the corner and whimpered in defeat. _Why does this have to happen to me? _He thought. _I've never done anything to anyone. Wait, maybe this has something to do with what I did to Tammy…where the hell am I, anyway?_ When the light turned on, he flinched at its brightness.

It was a plain room like you see the police interrogate people in on TV. There was a mirror and a table, but no chairs. He saw that there were two other people in the room with him. One was a tall person dressed all in black. He couldn't see the other's face, but he knew it was a woman. She was knocked out in the opposite corner, and then he realized who it was. Her blonde hair was matted and her clothes ragged, but it was definitely her.

Tammy.

The lights kept hurting Tammy's eyes and she blinked away the intruding spots in her vision. How long had she been out for? Her eyes finally adjusted to the light and she scanned the newly brightened room.

Riley was still there, over by the light switch now. There was something different, though. For once, she didn't have the sly grin on her face and she wasn't looking at Tammy. Her gaze was fixed on the other side of the room. Tammy followed her glare and saw what had her attention. A man was huddling in the corner; his head was bloody and his cheeks were tear stained. Tammy recognized him immediately as her co-worker, Blaze.

Groaning, Link sat up in the bright room. Vision blurred, he tried to put a name to the place. He saw a low table, a TV, and a few over-stuffed couches. It took a minute, but he realized that he was still in Tammy's living room. The last thing he remembered was pacing, waiting for Tammy. He was about to go out and look for her.

"June!" He called. "Is Tammy back yet?" No answer. Link went to the kitchen and searched. Nothing. He prodded at the entire house without finding any sign of life.

A small sound made Link listen acutely. He was positive there was a low humming noise somewhere in the house. Soon he realized what it was.

"Tammy?" Link practically sprinted to the garage and nearly ripped the door off its hinges getting it open. To his dismay, it wasn't Tammy who drove in, but June.

"Where've you been? Did you find Tammy?" Instead of answering, June chuckled to herself, as if enjoying some private joke. Link's puzzled look made her _tsk_ and roll her eyes.

"Do you really not remember anything?" She faked an awed expression then _tsk_ed again. "She's not missing. Never was. She dumped you for another guy, remember? Blaze, I think his name was." She chuckled again and motioned for him to go inside. He stumbled back to the living, unable to believe what he'd just heard.

"Are you lying? I don't believe that that's something Tammy would do. It just doesn't sound right," he wiped away a stray tear. June laughed out loud.

"Why would _I_ lie to you? I have no reason to. Tammy left you this morning and you came to get her back when you tripped. I went to the store, thinking you would just get up and leave." She looked at him snidely. "I guess you didn't." Link, still shocked, stood up and went to go. He didn't make it to the door.

_A few months earlier…_

"Tammy, open up! I need to talk to you!" Tori banged on the front door furiously. The only light on in the house winked off and Tori sensed a presence behind her. Too late, she turned to see a figure cover her mouth. She breathed in the chloroform on the cloth and passed out.

When she awoke, Tori couldn't help but feel that something was different. She sprang up when she realized that Pan, her cat, wasn't sleeping by her side like he was every other morning. Frantically she searched the house for a sign of him. She also noticed that some of her jewelry was missing. She'd been robbed, and Pan was gone.

Riley stormed over to Blaze and he huddled farther into the corner. Effortlessly, she grabbed his collar single-handedly and lifted him off his feet.

"Don't cry for help," she spat, "because no one can hear you." She stared off, as if thinking, then said, "Oh, I guess it won't matter anyways. No one can save you when you're dead." She laughed in his face then dropped him back to the floor. "Now shut up or I'll get the Boss in here." Blaze's face paled at this, but he remained silent. Riley stalked back to the light switch and flicked it off. She returned to her post by the door and lit up a cigarette.

Tammy crawled along the wall, feeling her way over to Blaze. She had to stay quiet to not alert Riley, but she knew she had to go fast. Blaze was terrified; she saw it in his eyes. Her heart raced as she came to the first corner. She paused when Riley lit another cigarette, and then quickly shuffled the rest of the way.

"Blaze? Are you okay?" Her words were hardly a whisper.

"Tammy, is that you?" A little too loud. The lights came back on and Riley's expression was truly petrifying. Her eyes were mere slits, her nostrils were flared and her cheeks were flushed. A mask of pure fury. Tammy cringed as Riley stomped over and grabbed a handful of her grubby hair. As Riley dragged her, screaming, back to the other side of the room, Tammy saw Blaze stand up defiantly.

"No Blaze, don't!" She immediately regretted her outburst. Riley turned and saw him coming toward her. She dropped Tammy and smiled menacingly. Blaze stayed calm and stopped beside the table. Completely oblivious to his plan, Riley advanced like a predator with its prey. When it looked like she was about to stomp on him, Blaze grabbed a chair and hit her hard. Stunned, she recoiled then tried to take the chair from him. He whacked her again, this time creating an oozing gash in her forehead. A final blow and Blaze had successfully knocked Riley out.

Tammy ran to him and gave him a hug. He sat beside her on the table.

"Where are we?" He asked, "What's happening?" Questions Tammy didn't know the answers to. She simply shrugged and looked over at Riley's limp form. Smiling, she went over and kicked it as hard as she could. Chin high, she came back to Blaze and they laughed for the first time in days.

Determined, June dragged Link's heavy body out to her black mini-van. Of course, her cell phone had to ring at that moment. The song blared all the way to the van and June cursed under her breath. She obviously didn't want to attract attention, but now the entire neighbourhood was probably awake.

"What do you want?" She nearly yelled.

"Um, Boss, I've got some bad news." June started the van and sighed. Riley sounded almost afraid (if she even could be) and she was panting heavily. June was getting irritated.

"Spit it out!"

Riley hesitated then answered, "They got out." June nearly hissed with anger,

"What did you say? You are dead when I get there. You hear me? Dead!" She slammed the phone shut and angrily drove to her house.


	5. Chapter 4

Deadly Betrayals

PART IV:

"What the hell happened?! Are you retarded? I trust you for two hours with two people, unconscious, and they get away?! You are such an idiot! You're incapable, stupid, and retarded!!" Riley cringed at her employer's harsh words.

"But he hit me with a chair! I was out cold and when I woke up, they were gone! I'm sorry, but that guy's stronger than he looks!" June just glared and kicked Link in frustration. Then her phone rang, causing Riley to nearly jump out of her skin. June shook her head and answered the phone.

"What? I'm very busy right now!" She raised her eyebrows at the response. "Wha-" she was cut off by laughter at the other end. "What the hell is so Goddamn funny?!" The laughter stopped immediately. Riley strained to hear the conversation, but June had gone upstairs.

After 10 minutes of impatient waiting, Riley heard June's light footsteps on the stairs. Riley wad expecting her rage, but was surprised to see a smile on June's face. Rather confused, Riley glanced around to find an escape. June then laughed loud and full of true amusement. Riley was more confused then ever and wondered if she had finally lost it. She just shrugged and picked up Link's forgotten body.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" June held up a finger to tell Riley to let her recover. When she finally did, she wiped the tears from her eyes and calmed down.

"Yes, I forgot about him. We should dump him somewhere far away. Wait, no I have an idea! An old friend of mine has a shack with a couple of bodies near it out in the boonies north of town. Let's go."

Washing the caked-on dirt off her arms and legs, June thought through the scene again. She thought of how careful and sneaky they had been when the police officer had pulled them over. She chuckled when she remembered the look on his face when she'd told him they'd gotten in a fight over who got to drive home after their night out. The plan had gone even better than she had hoped, and she thought how ironic it was that her colleague had caught Blaze and Tammy. Finally, she would have some revenge.


	6. Chapter 5

Deadly Betrayals

PART V: SORRY

Flint threw the bottle of water into the room and quickly relocked it. He went outside and lit up a cigarette. God how he needed that smoke. As he was puffing away, his neighbour Elisha came to join him. Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he decided to try to break the ice.

"Hey. Pretty chilly out tonight, eh?" She simply shrugged and continued with her cigarette. Still trying, Flint continued: "You wanna come in for a cup' a coffee? Keep ya warm? How 'bout it?" He looked over at her to find her eyes boring into his. She shrugged again then nodded. "Cool," Flint said.

Pouring a mug of coffee in his too-small kitchen, Flint caught a view of Elisha in the glass on the china cabinet. She was very beautiful with full strawberry-red lips, deep blue eyes and hair so black it looked like midnight. Finally, she spoke for the first time.

"This china is really something. Where'd you get it all?" Flint glanced at the china while he handed her a steaming mug.

"It was my mother's. She passed away last year." Elisha turned to find his eyes had filled with tears.

"You must have loved her very much. I'm sorry for your loss." She reached across the table and rested her hand on his muscular shoulder.


End file.
